


tell my mother, tell my father (I'll do the best I can)

by jynladyofstardust



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Lives, F/M, Gen, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Redemption, Resurrection, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22091110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jynladyofstardust/pseuds/jynladyofstardust
Summary: Ben Solo gets a second chance to come back and fix the messes he'd left behind, with the help of a hauntingly familiar Force ghost.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 11
Kudos: 25





	tell my mother, tell my father (I'll do the best I can)

**Author's Note:**

> Ok. So. I have things I should be writing that aren't this. But this won't leave me alone. I've had this idea in one way or another over the past few weeks, and finally this week I was finally able to work this into something I want to write.
> 
> This is very much a work in progress, but I have an idea where I'm going with it. Characters and tags will be added as they pop up in the story.
> 
> Title is a play on lyrics from [Second Chance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KSObQxoCHs) by Shinedown. The song has nothing to do with the story otherwise, but it's still worth a listen.

As Ben crawled back up from the pit Palpatine had thrown him into, he already knew. 

Rey was gone.

He also knew he had a chance to save her. Repay what she’d done for him on the wreckage of the Death Star.

He placed his hand over her, channeled all his energy into her. He’d known, as he was doing it, he had just enough energy to save her.

He’d also known it was worth it.

Relief flooded him when she touched him, smiled up at him, kissed him. It was everything he’d ever wanted, and he was glad he could have it at least once.

The taste of her on his lips, the looks of happiness on her face, was the last thing he knew, before he collapsed and knew no more.

  


  


* * *

  


  


Slowly, ever so slowly, he started to become aware, but in a way that was difficult to process. He was there, but _not_ there. It was highly disconcerting in a way he was unable to put into words.

“Confusing, isn’t it,” a voice called out to him. He opened his eyes, trying to see who was with him, only to close them again after being completely blinded by the bright light.

“I know, it takes a moment. But you’ll adjust,” the voice reassured. “Just give it some time.”

Ben took a breath and forced himself to open his eyes. The bright light overwhelmed him, but he fought through it, let himself adjust until finally things cleared and he was able to make out the shape of a young man with long, shaggy hair.

“Hello, Ben. About time you woke up.”

Despite the incredible effort it took him, he made himself sit up, though all that accomplished was a wave of dizziness and him collapsing back down again.

“Whoa, whoa. Take it easy there, you’ve been through quite a lot. Here, let me help you,” he said as he placed a hand on Ben’s back and helped ease him into a sitting position, helping to hold him in place until he was able to sit up on his own.

“Where am I? Where’s Rey? Is she—”

“Rey’s fine, it’s _you_ that you should be concerned. As for where you are… that’s a bit more difficult to explain. Think of this as a halfway point. You have a choice to make.”

Ben looked up at the man. “A choice?”

The man nodded, and there was something very familiar about him, though Ben couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was. “That’s right. You can become one with the Force, let your spirit become one with the Jedi of the past. But, I think, that’s not the path you should follow.”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what is the path I should follow?”

“Going back. Fixing your mistakes, not leaving your mess for others to clean up.”

The passion the man spoke with as he said that startled Ben. “Is that possible?”

“Through the Force, anything is possible,” the man said with a wry smile. “But the Force can only do so much. You have to want this, and you have to _mean_ it. Remember, your will can be felt through the Force, so think carefully young one.”

Ben took a closer look at the man before him. At first glance he looked younger than Ben, but in his eyes there was a wisdom that was far beyond Ben’s years. 

“I thought only the Sith could come back from the dead. How do I know this isn’t another trick from Palpatine?”

The man seemed to approve of the question. “Palpatine is truly gone this time, his granddaughter took care of that. Rest assured, this is no trick. Under normal circumstances, you’d be correct, only the Sith can fully reanimate the dead who have moved on, but these aren’t normal circumstances.”

“My mother,” Ben realized. “I felt her, when she died. But then, before I…,” He hesitated, not quite able to bring himself to say it. “I thought I felt her presence again.”

“You did. It was the love of your mother that gave you this chance. But only you have the power to take it.”

Ben looked away, overwhelmed at the idea that his mother, even in death, still cared about him. Even after everything he’d done to her, the grief and the hurt he’d caused her. “What if I fail? What if I go back but can’t fix everything?”

“All you have to do is try, young one. Go with good intent, that’s all that can truly be asked of you.”

With that said, the man stepped away to give Ben time to think. The idea of being at peace, after all the years of suffering and anger, thinking he had no one, sure in the fact that what he was doing was right no matter how wrong it felt… it was tempting.

But he knew it would be the coward’s way out. 

He refused to be a coward.

“I’ll do it,” Ben said, finding for the first time he had the strength to stand up.

The man turned back to Ben, a bright smile on his face. “Good,” he said as he walked over to him. “I’m glad you’re taking the choice I was too late to make. Go make your mother proud.”

Ben nodded. “I’ll try.”

“I know. It was good to finally talk to you, young Ben, after all these years.”

Before Ben could parse what the man meant by that, his surroundings flashed a violent, brilliant white, and he felt himself being pulled forward.

**Author's Note:**

> To be continued.


End file.
